You Can Let Go
by Lex Sparrow
Summary: She told him many times to let her go


You Can Let Go Now

Summary: She told him many times to let go

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the characters mentioned in this piece. Doctor Who belongs to the BBC and no copyright infringement is intended. I also do not own the song that inspired this work of fiction entitled "You Can Let Go Now".

The blond haired boy was staring at her incredulously. His poor kid mind could not process the words that had come out of her mouth.

"What do you mean you've never ridden a bike?" he asked, his voice going up an octave in disbelieve. What eight year old had never ridden a bike?

Young Mels just looked at him. "It means I've never ridden a bike," she said slowly. During her training no one had ever taught her how. She had never even seen one until she found her way to this dull, boring little town.

The boy furrowed his brow. "Well why not?"

Mels shrugged. She couldn't tell him the truth; he was too young. Instead she gave him the simplest explanation she could. "No one taught me."

If it was possibly, the boy's eyes grew even bigger causing their redheaded friend to giggle at him. Young Mels watched as the look on his face changed from disbelief to determination. He puffed out his chest and folded his arms over it.

"Well I'll have to teach you then!"

They ended up back out his house as he attempted to pull his bike out of the shed while the little redheaded tried to dissuade him from his goal.

"C'mon, Rory, she doesn't have to learn if she doesn't want to," the redhead complained.

The boy, Rory, looked over at Mels as he finally succeeded in tugging his bike from the shed. "Would you like me to teach you?" he asked softly just in case she didn't want to learn.

The look on his face made Mels heart hurt. If she hadn't been curious about this whole bike thing before, she was certain now. She stood up from her spot on the lawn and walked over to him. "I'd love it if you would," she replied.

The wide grin on his face made the pain go away. He motioned for her to get on and showed her where to put her feet. He wheeled her to the sidewalk and stopped. "Now I'm going to walk behind you, alright," he said as he tried to remember what his dad had said when he had taught him to ride. "When you feel like you got it, just tell me and I'll let go."

Mels noticed Amy start chewing on her finger nail as the duo got ready for their first lesson. "Alright," Mels grinned and tightened her grip on the handle bars. Rory instructed her to start peddling and they started their way down the sidewalk with Amy following close behind them. It didn't take too long for Mels to get her balance properly and feel like she could control the bike.

"Let go!" she called to Rory.

"Are you sure?" he called back. He didn't want to let go if she wasn't ready; he remembered the scrapes from when his dad has turned him lose.

"Yea let go!" Mels exclaimed again.

"Are you sure you have a tight enough grip? Sitting on right?" Rory didn't want to let her go only for her to get all banged up. He didn't want her to go home and be forced to explain what had happened.

"Yes, d…Rory!" she almost slipped that time. _He's too young_, she reminded herself.

Rory took a deep breath and released his grip on the bike seat. Amy caught up with him and watched as Mels wheeled towards the horizon on the borrowed bike.

Years and centuries later, they were standing at the altar of a local church on a planet in the 51st century. She and her husband were being forced to get remarried in the human traditions. As her mother put it "getting married on top of a pyramid in a collapsed timeline didn't mean it counted to them". He thinks Amy had just wanted a reason to throw a proper ceremony for her daughter. He looked down at the woman whose hand was holding on to his arm.

He had been to hell and back for her. From the battle of Demons' Run and the trip to Berlin, knowing after Berlin that he would never get to hold his baby girl in his arms again. Now he was being forced to give his consent and hand her over to the man that had caused all of this to begin with.

He heard the preacher ask who gave the woman to her husband but he didn't respond. He felt her pull slightly on his arm.

"Are you sure about this? You know you could change your mind this time?" he whispered to his daughter.

River chuckled slightly and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be okay," she whispered softly, "you can let go."

Rory felt tears slowly build behind his eyes. "Never," he mouthed to her before placing her hand into the Doctor's and giving his consent once again. He took his seat next to Amy and she laid her head on his shoulder. Why did their little girl have to go up so quick?

She had just gotten done with breakfast when she felt the TARDIS shudder and begin to move under her. She quickly ran to the console room and grabbed the scanner. "Where are we going?" she asked quietly. The TARDIS rarely drug them off to somewhere on her own. The TARDIS finally stilled and River checked the scanner one more time. When the scanner didn't bring her any closer to answers, she stepped out of the TARDIS to find out where the sentient ship had brought her.

Her hearts leapt into her throat at the Leadworth Hospital sign that glared at her.

She made her way to the reception booth. Why had the TARDIS brought her to the hospital? Was Amy giving birth again? River had just met her youngest brother in this hospital two years before.

She was greeted by the receptionist. "Do you have anyone named Amy or Rory Williams checked in here?" she asked.

The receptionist slowly keyed the names into the system while River tapped her nails against the counter top. Finally the receptionist turned back to her, "We have a Rory Williams up on the third floor. Are you family?" River didn't hear the last question as she was already making her way to the lift.

What was wrong with her father that he was in the hospital? Why hadn't Amy called her? She took the lift up to the third floor and stopped at the receptionist's desk. "Can you tell me what room Rory Williams is in?"

She didn't like the pitying look the lady was giving her. "He's right down the hall in 352. His doctor is in there now if you'd like to speak with him."

River nodded and hurried down the hall to the room her father was in. She opened the door just as the doctor was closing his clip board. He looked up at her as he sat the file in the holder at the foot of the bed. "Are you Melody?"

"Yes," she responded. Why were these people giving her these looks? What was wrong?

The doctor smiled sadly. "He's been asking for you. He's already said goodbye to your brothers."

Her two hearts stopped. "What is wrong with him? Where's his wife?"

The pitying look stayed on the man's face. "His wife died two months ago," he whispered sadly, "he's been in here ever since. From his vitals he won't even make the night."

River finally forced herself to look at the man lying on the bed. Tears started to roll down her face as she took in the appearance of her father. Gone was the blond hair he had throughout their childhood, the smooth skin that finally came through after his teenage years. Gone was Rory the neighbor boy and in his place was a man with all the years visible on his face.

"I'll leave you alone," the doctor placed a hand on her shoulder before leaving her alone with the shell of her father.

River wiped the tears from her face and sighed. She looked around before going over to the side of his bed and lying down next to him. "Hi Daddy," she couldn't stop her voice from cracking. She watched as his eyes blinked before trying to turn their focus to her.

"Mels?" his voice was raspy when he called out her name.

"Shh, shh I'm here," she whispered as she laid her head on his shoulder. "I heard about Mum."

She watched as his eyes fluttered closed. "Go on, Daddy, let go. Everything will be okay, the boys will go on, the Doctor will watch over me. You know Mum can't last long without you," her voice cracked on the last sentence as tears started to fall once again. "Let go, Daddy." She whispered as she kissed his cheek.

She laid there with her father until the heart monitor leveled out. As he slipped away she held tight to him and cried into his chest. Eventually she forced herself away from his body and placed another kiss to his cheek. "Don't let Mum run you too ragged there. I'll see you soon." She whispered before going to find his doctor.

As she walked away the Doctor slipped into his father-in-law's room.

The End


End file.
